U.S. Pledges Advanced Air Defense Systems To Ukraine

Russia's barrage of rocket attacks against Kyiv and 9 other Ukrainian cities, an action even Putin himself characterized as a “harsh” response to an explosion on a crucial bridge, prompted President Joe Biden on Monday to boost U.S. support to Ukraine, offering “advanced air defense systems” in a call to President Volodymyr Zelensky, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports from the White House.

The White House readout of the Biden-Zelensky call did not provide additional details on what advanced air defense systems were discussed. “He also underscored his ongoing engagement with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia, holding Russia accountable for its war crimes and atrocities, and providing Ukraine with security, economic, and humanitarian assistance,” the readout continued.

The move came just ahead of today's virtual meeting of the G-7 group, where the leaders will discuss "their unwavering commitment to support Ukraine and hold Putin accountable in the face of Russia’s aggression and atrocities, including Russia’s recent missile strikes across Ukraine," according to the White House. President Zelenskyy will also join Leaders at the top of the meeting.

The U.S. is the largest provider of military equipment to Ukraine, with an estimated $17.5 billion since February. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to Brussels tomorrow to conduct in-person meetings with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a 50-nation grouping of ministers of defense and chiefs of defense committed to providing support for Ukraine.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken strongly condemned Monday attacks, calling them "yet another reminder" that Russia's war against Ukraine presents a profound moral issue.

"No person of conscience – and no country of principle – could be unmoved by the devastation of these horrors. Ukraine, like every other country around the world, has the right to choose its own future and live peacefully inside its own internationally recognized borders," Blinken said in a statement, calling on the international community "to make clear that President Putin’s actions are completely unacceptable."

"Now is the time to speak out in support for Ukraine; it is not the time for abstentions, placating words, or equivocations under claims of neutrality. The core principles of the UN Charter are at stake."

Blinken went on to say, "There is one aggressor in this war: Russia. There is only one country escalating this war through its attempted annexations of Ukraine’s land and its repeated assaults on civilians: Russia. There is one person who can stop this war now and withdraw Russia’s forces: Vladimir Putin."

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.